Stitch Guide: Moss Stitch

I like moss stitch, it's a great textured stitch that is easy to remember and reversible.  This stitch has a similar look to seed stitch, but the purls and knits line up in a slightly different way.  Another thing that is a plus about moss stitch is that it lays flat, coupled with it haveing no "wrong" side it is a great stitch for scarves. 

Moss Stitch (flat)
Multiple of 2 plus 1
R1: *k1, p1* k1 Repeat *to* to the last stitch
R2: *k1, p1* k1
R3: *p1, k1* p1
R4: *p1, k1* p1

Moss Stitch (in the round)
Multiple of 2
R1: *k1, p1* repeat to stitch marker or end of round
R2: *k1, p1*
R3: *p1, k1* p1
R4: *p1, k1* p1

Sewing the Steffi Jacket: Muslin and fabric Choices

Burda Style

I am in love with this jacket and have been for about a year.  I even bought the pattern and the fabric to make the muslin, but after Simon and I got married I was sewn out after making three dresses two ties and a bunch of other crafty bits the idea of sewing a tailored jacket with buttons and a lining seemed a bit daunting.  But with the weather cooling down and my desire to make clothes instead of buying them I pulled the pattern out of storage and the muslin fabric and I am going to do it I am going to sew this jacket. 

Here it goes, the pattern all laid out ready to cut the fabric for the muslin.  I am a bit of a fearless sewer (and Knitter) and I usually jump in with both feet, but I want to make sure I know how this pattern is sewn and how it fits before I cut the wool and silk for the real one.  I have expensive tastes and I don't want to f-up really good fabric.  It's not like yarn where I can frog it if I don't like it or if it doesn't fit. 

All the muslin pieces waiting to be sewn my poor little tomato is empty of all its pins. This will be today's project, start sewing the muslin together.

Before work I went to the fabric store yesterday, I had some Brithday money from my mom and decided that it was going toward my fabric. 

My original thought was to make it out of navy wool, but after seeing this forest green I hemmed and hawed about it for a few minuets. 

I finally decided to go with my original plan and make it in navy.  There was even this great lavender gray silk on sale that I got for the lining.  I do really love the green and if this goes well maybe I'll make a second in green. 

Sneak Peek: Harvest Mitts

Here's a quick look at my newest pattern the Harvest Mitts.  What I loved about designing them was the stitch pattern it's simple, has elasticity, and looks interesting.  This pattern will be out in my Etsy shop and on Ravelry on Friday October 14th.

(I've been in a yellow mood lately.)

Busy Weekend

Shot of Seneca Lake out of Watkins Glen.

Home Sweet Home, or more like home town.  This weekend Simon and I were in the Finger Lakes.  Well we drove there spent the night and then on Friday drove up to Rochester for my best friends wedding and then we spent Saturday with my grandparents for mine and my grandfather's Birthdays. 

The wedding was fun we drank, eat and danced the night away.  I also got to wear my newest dress, the fatina shift dress.

I'm short and the mantel was tall.

I finished hemming it Wednesday night.  This dress made me realize how short I am.  I had to hem about five inches off the dress for it to hit just above my knees.  It I hadn't cut off all the excess fabric and had hammed it where it asked to be hemmed I would have a dress that would hit me mid calf.  Which I find and unflattering hemline on such a fitted skirt.

I got to hand out with my family and see my two besties from back in my high school days.

We clean up really well.

We left on Sunday and no trip to the Finger Lakes would be complete with out a stop at my favorite yarn store! 

Finger Lakes Fibers, Watkins Glen NY

It was a great trip, but I think we are more exhusted after the trip than we were before.  We came home, unpacked, picked up some groceries, and the promptly ordered Mexican.  Then we slept.  

Off to Upstate NY

Photo by Jim Hickcox

Simon and I are off to my home town for the weekend.  My best friend Beaner (his real name is Andrew) is getting married.  I love the Finger Lakes this time of year.  The trees will be changing, there will be a nip in the air, it will be apple season and the cider doughnuts will be freshly baked.

Photo by Jim Hickcox

Simon hasn't really been up to my family's place this time of year, other than our wedding which was still a bit early in the fall season.  He's excited about the trees changing and being able to wear his nice leather jacket.  Me, I'm just excited for the cider doughnuts, oh and a wedding....and my family, but damn those cider doughnuts are good.  

When you read this we will already be about half way there!

Photo by Jim Hickcox

Dress Making: Completing the Fatina

Ugh, the finishing on this dress makes me want to wear a potato sack to this wedding...ok I wouldn't actually, but I was about two stitches short of just wearing my LBD.  Here's the break down of what happened.  If you read Monday's post I was finishing up the neckline which when I was finished sewing it looked like I had sewn it with out my contacts in.  So my one day of finishing turned into two days of hand sewing. 

On Monday I finished the arm holes and the neck line.  At first I had resigned myself to hand sewing these, but then I thought the actual pattern calls for it to be machine sewed it will be faster and look just fine.  I was incorrect in this thinking.

Here's the "wrong side of the neckline"

A shot of the right side of the dress

On Tuesday I finished the Obi belt and am extremly happy with how this came out.  I think this part of the project has inspired a tutorial for latter either this month or the next.  The duponi silk was a dream to sew!

This belt is super long.  It measures about 134 inches

And now with one day left I am on to my second round of hand knitting the hem. I am so close to being done I can taste it.  The dress is about 50% hand sewn.  I don;t see that as a bad thing as all of the hand sewing was for the finishing. 

 Here's my hem line all pinned and ready for hand sewing.

But after that I will be finished.  No more alterations, no more seam ripping and resewing.  I tried the dress on with out the belt yesterday, to get the right hem line and I am in love with this dress.  I am going to make a second in a wool for the winter, and maybe even one in a cotton for the spring!

New Look & October Giveaway!

I am trying out Bloggers new templet designer.  I'm still up in the air about it, the real reason I switched is because I wanted to change up my layout, but Blogger wouldn't let me do that with my old design so I had to "upgrade".  Expect a few tweeks here and there till I figure out what looks the best.

In other news I'm an October sponsor for One Pearl Button who also recently got a new look.  Also I'm planing some great patterns to be released this month and I'm starting to knit for November too. I love October, the leaves are changing, it's a great time for apple cider, I can wear my wooly sweaters, I start knitting more sweaters, and it's my birthday month.  In celebration of the month of October I am giving away a copy of the Saucy Librarian Sweater Knitting Pattern.  Leave me a comment about why you love October and I will pick a winner at random.  The winner will be announced on October 14th.  Good Luck!